University Communications » Internal Communications » MavWire » MavWire 11-04-2010

Seismic activity: Dr. Simon Chao heads the research team starting work this month at the University of Minnesota's multi-axial subassemblage testing laboratory. The lab features a full-scale testing facility that can shake reinforced concrete beams and columns until they collapse.

Professor lands $1 million grant to help earthquake-proof buildings

Shih-Ho “Simon” Chao, an assistant civil engineering professor in the College of Engineering, is the principal investigator for an engineering team that has landed a three-year, $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation to study earthquake survivability and make buildings more durable.

The test data will be used for advanced computer modeling by team member Curt Haselton of California State University, Chico to predict the seismic behavior of real buildings under extreme earthquakes.

The testing facility can simulate an earthquake's shaking. “It can take a full-scale reinforced concrete member and shake it as violently as a real earthquake would,” Dr. Chao says.

The NSF grant is awarded through the George E. Brown Jr. Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation program that the NSF started several years ago. NEES is a network of 14 large-scale, experimental sites that feature advanced research tools.

Read more about the NSF grant and earthquake proofing.

Lisa Ling

Lisa Ling brings 'Open Heart, Open Mind' to Maverick Speaker Series lecture Nov. 23

International journalist and TV show host Lisa Ling will bring her message of positive social change to Texas Hall when she discusses "Open Heart, Open Mind" at the Maverick Speakers Series lecture Tuesday, Nov. 23.

Ling frequently discusses her career path as a journalist and the important role journalism plays as a catalyst for positive change in the world.

Since joining the National Geographic Explorer series as host in December 2002, she has covered the looting of antiquities in war-torn Iraq, investigated the increasingly deadly drug war in Colombia, examined the complex issues surrounding China’s one-child policy, and journeyed more than 1,600 feet to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. She serves as a contributing editor for USA Weekend and has produced several award-winning documentaries for PBS.

Millions of TV viewers remember Ling as the former co-host of The View. The versatile journalist has also co-written the books, Mother, Daughter, Sister, Bride: Rituals of Womanhood, and Somewhere Inside.

Tickets are free, but required and are available online at utatickets.com. The lecture begins at 7:30 p.m., followed by a book signing.

Tom Burnett

Southland Conference commissioner to speak at Anderson Sport Performance Lecture

Tom Burnett, commissioner of the Southland Conference, discusses the NCAA conference realignment for the 29th Anderson Sport Performance Lecture at noon Monday, Nov. 8, in the Lone Star Auditorium at the Maverick Activities Center.

He will explain how the NCAA's changes will affect UT Arlington and the Southland Conference, which includes 11 other member institutions.

The free lecture series, presented by the Department of Kinesiology, is named for Eugene W. Anderson, chair from 1978-94 of what was then the Department of Exercise, Sport, and Health Studies.

Women's Studies invites girls to expand horizons at Saturday event

Middle school girls from across North Texas gain hands-on experience with math and science at the Expanding Your Horizons program Saturday, Nov. 6.

Some of the workshop topics include “Food for Thought: Biochemistry in the Kitchen,” “Diagnosis Detectives,” “Flying High with Aviation,” “Slime, Sludge, and Silly Putty: Precision in Science,” and "Make Money Using Math.” See a list of workshops.

The program begins at 8 a.m. at the E.H. Hereford University Center. Michelle Varnell, wildlife specialist for Cedar Hill State Park, is the keynote speaker.

Sponsored by the Women’s Studies program, Expanding Your Horizons is partially funded by the Star-Telegram. For more information, call Desiree Henderson or Roxanne Buil at 2-3131.

Urban oasis The Green at College Park, a collaboration between UT Arlington and the City of Arlington, now has a new sign at the corner of Center and Mitchell streets, as construction on other major components of the 20-acre College Park District continues in the background. See progress of College Park Center, immediately to the north, on the construction webcam. The Green at College Park is expected to open in December.

Nursing stages disaster drill Friday

Students from the College of Nursing are participating in a simulated disaster drill 1-3 p.m. Friday, Nov. 5, at the Campus Recreation Fields Complex.

Participating in the drill are UT Arlington Police, Arlington Medical Response, Arlington Police, Arlington Fire Department, and PHI Helicopter. Decontamination equipment is being provided by a local hospital.

Simulated patients will be used in the exercise, which includes more than 100 community health nursing students as well as RN-BSN students, says Susan Cherry, clinical instructor in the College of Nursing.

Compliance training due this month

UT Arlington is committed to ethical conduct and compliance with all applicable laws, rules, regulations, policies, and procedures. As part of this commitment, the University has established a compliance training program. Completing the annual compliance training requirements is important for all faculty and staff.

Access the University's training website at uta.edu/training. Use your Net ID and password to access the training. Your training curriculum will appear after you log in. The deadline for completing the training is Tuesday, Nov. 30.

If you have questions or need additional assistance, contact the compliance helpline at 2-5100 or compliance@uta.edu.

Still time to 'go green' and win contest prizes

There is still time to take part in the Mavericks Go Green Staples/3M Buy One, Plant One Contest, co-sponsored by the Office of Sustainability. Prizes will be awarded to the top three buyers in fall and spring with a grand prize awarded in May to the top buyer.

Qualifying products include 100 percent recycled paper, legal pads, clasp envelopes, manila folders, hanging file folders, and sticky notes. For details, go to post-itonetree.com/staples.

Convert your WebCT course to Blackboard by Friday

Blackboard is replacing WebCT in the spring, so if you use WebCT to teach, you have choices on which transition path to take. You may choose to convert your entire course or only specific materials, such as quizzes.

It is highly recommended you explore Blackboard first and decide which transition path to take. You may want to start from scratch and reorganize your current course files using the new "My Content" feature in Blackboard.

The deadline for requesting a WebCT course conversion to Blackboard is Friday, Nov. 5. Learn more about Blackboard information and training.

Spooky office Health Services was the overall winner in the Halloween office decorating contest. Showing off their decorations are, from left, Belinda Thompson, Stephanie Johnson, Dr. Angela Middleton, Charmion Vaughan, and Yvonne Medrano. Other winners included most spooktacular, Department of Communication; creative costumes, Department of History; best theme, New Maverick Orientation; and best pumpkins, Trinity House. Campus Recreation sponsored the contest.

Exchange those old school rags for Maverick designer duds at MavSwap

Show your Maverick enthusiasm next week at MavSwap and Spirit Friday.

For MavSwap, bring another university’s apparel and receive a free UT Arlington T-shirt. MavSwap is at noon Wednesday, Nov. 10, on the Central Library mall and is a new tradition that aims to make Maverick gear every season's No. 1 fashion item.

The swap meet is part of a basketball pep rally that includes team introductions, coach interviews, cheer and dance team performances, and giveaways.

Later in the week, join in for Spirit Friday at noon Friday, Nov. 12, on the E.H. Hereford University Center mall. Spirit Friday tests student organizations' knowledge of UT Arlington's history, fight song, and trivia. Faculty and staff are welcome to attend.

MavSwap and Spirit Friday are hosted by the UTA Ambassadors, a group that promotes Maverick traditions.

Health Services survey continues through Friday, Nov. 19

Take a few moments to complete the quick and anonymous patient satisfaction survey for Health Services through Friday, Nov. 19. Health Services is committed to meeting and exceeding your expectations. Feedback on your impressions of the facility and experiences of care, service, and staff are important and encouraged.

Bring your nonperishable items for food drive

During November, provide a box for your office donations and urge co-workers to bring nonperishable food items for the second annual Golden Can Food Drive.

Preferred food items, which support healthy eating habits, include canned foods such as beans, tuna, ham, soup, fruit, chili, stew, and peanut butter; and packaged foods such as energy bars, pudding cups, fruit rolls, crackers, and granola bars.

The Golden Key International Honour Society in partnership with the Staff Advisory Council’s Outreach Committee sponsors the drive to aid the hungry in North Texas. The goal is to surpass last year’s collection of 464 pounds. Every 10 pounds of food feeds a family of four for a day.

Donations will be picked up Monday, Nov. 22. Contact Kevin Schuck at 2‑3313 or keschuck@uta.edu with donation location information.

MyMav system outage scheduled for Nov. 23

MyMav will be unavailable Tuesday, Nov. 23, for a system upgrade. Plan to take care of all business that requires access to MyMav on days other than Nov. 23.

Introduction to Adobe InDesign

Explore the basics of Adobe’s desktop publishing software. Learn how to work with images, text, and document formats to create exciting custom page layouts. 2-4 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 4, Room B29, Central Library. See more OIT training classes.

Essentials of Assertiveness

Learn powerful tools for assertiveness to help you deal with conflict at all levels of an organization, and discover techniques on how to be an assertive communicator. Free. 2-4 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 11, Room 200, Wetsel Service Center. See a complete listing of HR training classes.

Plenty to choose from with Continuing Education

Whether for work or play, courses offered in Continuing Education have something for nearly everyone. Classes are available both in person and online.

Learn country and western dancing for fun, or sharpen your professional development skills with a wide variety of selections.

Online classes include everything from assisting aging parents and everyday math to entrepreneur workshops and SixSigma.

Learn more at uta.edu/ced.

Employment Information

Check out employment opportunities at uta.edu/jobs. Have questions? Call Human Resources/Employment Services at 2-3461 or TDD 2-8139, or e-mail employment@uta.edu. The University of Texas at Arlington is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer.

Alone at the top: Emily Koenig is the first Maverick runner to win the women's Southland Conference cross country race since Frida Rosenberg in 1995.

Koenig captures women's SLC cross country title

Freshman Emily Koenig became the first UT Arlington cross country athlete to win a Southland Conference individual championship in 15 years last Thursday at the 2010 SLC Cross Country Championships.

Koenig led the women's team to a fourth-place finish behind winner Stephen F. Austin, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, and McNeese State.

Junior Jennifer Carey crossed the finish line in 15th place, while senior Amanda McMahon was 24th.

Sophomore Cody Widener was the men's top performer, finishing 24th, and led the Mavericks to a seventh-place team finish.

The NCAA South Central Cross Country Regional is next for the Mavericks on Saturday, Nov. 13, in Waco, followed by the NCAA Championships on Monday, Nov. 22, in Terra Haute, Ind.

Volleyball Mavericks win third straight, host two matches

After winning its third straight match with a 3-1 decision over Sam Houston State on Saturday, UT Arlington will host Southeastern Louisiana and Nicholls State in volleyball action this week at Texas Hall.

The Mavericks, now 6-6 in the Southland Conference, will face SLU at 7 p.m. today, Thursday, Nov. 4, before taking on Nicholls at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 6.

Junior Amanda Aguilera had 17 kills and 16 digs against Sam Houston as the Mavericks avenged an earlier loss to the Bearkats.

Sports briefs

• Women's basketball team hosts an exhibition game with East Central University, Saturday, Nov. 6. Mavericks open the regular season at Oral Roberts University, Friday. Nov. 12.

• Tennis teams close out the fall portion of the schedule this weekend with the women at the Baylor Invitational and the men at the UT Austin Invitational.

• Men's basketball team opens the season at home against Texas Lutheran University on Friday, Nov. 12.

• Movin' Mavs wheelchair basketball team hosts the Jim Hayes Memorial Tournament Friday-Saturday, Nov. 12-13. Competing with the Movin' Mavs are men's and women's teams from the University of Alabama, the University of Illinois, and the Dallas Wheelchair Mavericks.

(For more sports news, go to utamavs.com, utamovinmavs.com, or uta.edu/campusrec.)

Thursday, Nov. 4

Guest Pianist Recital Andrey Ponochevny, bronze medal winner of the 2002 International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition and silver medal winner of the 2010 New Orleans Piano Competition, performs. Free. Noon. Irons Recital Hall, Fine Arts Building. Music, 2-3471.

Volleyball Mavericks vs. Southeastern Louisiana. $6, utatickets.com. 7 p.m. Texas Hall. Athletics, 2-2261.

Friday, Nov. 5

$2 Movie: Iron Man 2 Because of his superhero alter ego, Tony Stark must contend with deadly issues involving the government, his own friends, and new enemies. 5:30 p.m. Friday, 2:30 p.m. Saturday. Planetarium, 2-1183.

Saturday, Nov. 6

Volleyball Mavericks vs. Nicholls State. $6, utatickets.com. 2 p.m. Texas Hall. Athletics, 2-2261.

Women's Basketball Mavericks vs. East Central. Exhibition game. Free. 6 p.m. Texas Hall. Athletics, 2-2261.

Sunday, Nov. 7

Anime Club Movie Screening A day of movies. Noon, Sword of the Stranger. 1:50 p.m., Ghost in the Shell: SAC Solid State Society. 3:40 p.m., The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. 5:20 p.m., Evangelion. Free. Lone Star Auditorium, Maverick Activities Center. Anime Club, 2-9205.

Faculty Cello Recital Elizabeth Morrow of the music faculty performs. Free. 3 p.m. Irons Recital Hall, Fine Arts Building. Music, 2-3471.

Monday, Nov. 8

Saxophone Choir Recital Saxophone students perform. Free. 7:30 p.m., Irons Recital Hall, Fine Arts Building. Music, 2-3471.

Tuesday, Nov. 9

Music Honors Recital Faculty and students perform in solo and chamber music settings. Free. 7:30 p.m., Irons Recital Hall, Fine Arts Building. Music, 2-3471.

Ongoing

Charting Chartered Companies: Concessions to Companies as Mirrored in Maps, 1600-1900 Exhibit focuses on maps and how they shaped the histories of chartered companies. Through Jan. 8. Free. 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Mondays-Saturdays, Special Collections, sixth floor, Central Library. 2-2179.

Gallery 76102: flats and rounds Artist Nicholas Wood works in hybrid forms of painting, drawing, and sculpture. Through Nov. 30. Gallery hours 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays; 2-6 p.m. Wednesdays, Fridays. Gallery 76102, Fort Worth Center, 1401 Jones St., Fort Worth.

The Gallery at UTA: Introductions Features the work of three assistant professors of art, Seiji Ikeda, Ya'Ke Smith, and Tore Terrasi, who are active exhibiting artists, designers, and filmmakers. Through Nov. 20. Gallery hours 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, Noon-5 p.m. Saturday. The Gallery at UTA, Fine Arts Building.

Planetarium programs Travel to ancient Egypt to see how science was used to tell time, make a workable calendar, and align huge buildings in Stars of the Pharaohs. Planetarium schedule, 2-1183.

Downtown Farmers Market Arlington's downtown farmers market features locally grown produce and locally made baked goods, arts, and crafts. Co-sponsored by UT Arlington Dining Services. 8 a.m.-1 p.m., Fridays-Saturdays, 215 E. Front St.

(For an expanded list of events, see the UT Arlington Calendar.)